I am in revision hell. Basically, I am re-reading "Grey Matters" for the umpteenth time and it is driving me nuts. I want to second guess every sentence, replace every image. This is my last change to make serious changes (though I'll see it again after the copy editor gets through and again on proofs) and the pressure is enormous.
I don't know why it should be this way. I liked this book before I sent it off. And my editor likes it a lot, too. In fact, she had very few suggestions for changes and the book is already scheduled for publication. I've printed out her email to remind me of this, whenever the going gets too rough.
Still, reading and revising again feels like pulling my fingernails out. And then trying to replace them. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. OK, back to work.
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World Enough: Boston rock 'n' roll noir
As Dark As My Fur: the second Blackie and Care mystery
The sixth Pru Marlowe pet noir
The new Dulcie Schwartz feline mystery
Now, where's that mouse?
"Probable Claws," April '09
Crime fiction, animal issues, and rock & roll. What more do you need?
COMING SOON: WORLD ENOUGH
World Enough: Boston rock 'n' roll noir
OUT NOW: AS DARK AS MY FUR
As Dark As My Fur: the second Blackie and Care mystery
Where I'll be
Thurs., Nov. 2, 7 p.m., World Enough book launch, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA
Wed., Nov. 8, 6:30 p.m., Mysterious Bookshop, New York, NY
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OUT NOW: WHEN BUNNIES GO BAD
The sixth Pru Marlowe pet noir
OUT NOW: INTO THE GREY
The new Dulcie Schwartz feline mystery
Welcome!
I'm Clea Simon, the author of three nonfiction books and four mystery series. The Theda Krakow books are Mew is for Murder, Cattery Row, Cries and Whiskers, and Probable Claws, all published by Poisoned Pen Press. My Dulcie Schwartz series, featuring Dulcie and the ghost of her late, great cat Mr Grey (from Severn House) are: Shades of Grey, Grey Matters, Grey Zone, Grey Expectations, True Grey, Grey Dawn, Grey Howl, Stages of Grey, and Code Grey. More books are in the works! My Pru Marlowe pet noir series began with Dogs Don't Lie, Cats Can't Shoot, Parrots Prove Deadly, Panthers Play for Keeps, Kittens Can Kill, and (March 2016) When Bunnies Go Bad. And my new darker series, featuring Blackie and Care, debuted in 2016 with Ninth Life and continued with As Dark As My Fur. Look for a third Blackie & Care, Cross My Path, in 2018. My Boston rock noir, World Enough, will be out in the US on Nov. 1. More info as I have it, friends!
Musetta at work
Now, where's that mouse?
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Praise for Clea's books
"Simon’s best known for her cat mysteries like hardboiled (or should I say tough mouser?) The Ninth Life but she is equally adept evoking the gritty past of the sleazy rock clubs of our youth." – Do Some Damage on World Enough
"I consider Clea Simon to be an absolutely brilliant writer, regardless of what genre she writes in. Writing in a cat’s voice is an art form, and few writers manage to do it well. In this series, Simon takes this art into a new realm. The way she sets scenes from Blackie’s point of view, and the way she describes how he takes in the world around him, reflects not just a thorough understanding of feline behavior, but also a connection to the feline soul that I have rarely seen in other cat books. The best writers paint pictures with their words. In As Dark As My Fur, Clea Simon paints a sweeping emotional cityscape that will stay with you long after you put the book down." – The Conscious Cat
"This intriguing series launch from Simon, best known for her cozy Dulcie Schwartz mysteries (Into the Grey, etc.), introduces Boston journalist Tara Winton, who back in the 1980s covered local punk rock bands … Vibrant descriptions of Boston’s former music scene … readers with a taste for noir are sure to want to see more of the edgy Tara. " –Publishers Weekly on World Enough
"Mystery, music, nightclubs, animals in danger: on a certain level, it’s an unlikely combination, yet, somehow, it works very well. And why? That special blend, I think: passion, heart, understanding and voice, voice, voice. Simon’s is as strong and clear as the passion she brings to the stories she tells." – January Magazine on Probable Claws
"With panache and perception, Simon delivers another best-in-show entry." – Richmond Times-Dispatch
"Music journalist Theda Krakow once again proves a feisty and determined sleuth in Simon's lively fourth cat-themed mystery. ... Well-drawn characters, a plot with many strings to unravel and plenty of appealing cats make this another winner for Simon." – Publishers Weekly
"As usual, Theda uses her investigative-journalist skills to save herself and help the cats of Cambridge, all while keeping in touch with the rock-music scene and negotiating an increasingly serious relationship with boyfriend Bill." – Booklist
"Clea Simon does an excellent job creating believable characters in Probable Claws. Theda and the rest of the cast of characters could each be someone the reader already knows in everyday life, or might bump into tomorrow." – Mystery Scene Magazine
"Once again, Clea Simon skillfully brings together the various aspects of Theda Krakow's complicated life. ... Readers who appreciate complicated characters, and intricate plots, will appreciate Simon's latest crime novel, Probable Claws." – Lesa's Book Critiques
About Me
- Clea Simon
- Cambridge, Massachusetts
- I'm the author of four mystery series, as well as such nonfiction books as The Feline Mystique: On the Mysterious Connection Between Women and Cats.
Clea Simon's official home page
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Coming soon...
"Probable Claws," April '09
Links we like...
- Cries and Whiskers on Amazon
- Barbara Vey on Publishers Weekly
- Bookbitch
- Caroline Leavitt's home page
- Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind
- Cozy Mystery list
- Crime Fiction Dossier
- Damon and Naomi's alt sounds
- Deborah Grabien's Tales from the Writerverse
- Do You Write Under Your Own Name?
- Eric Ruben: actor, writer, entertainer
- First Offenders mystery fiction blog
- Galleycat
- Karen E. Olson's home page
- Allia Zobel's Kitty Literate blog
- Larry Karp's Mystery Exchange
- Lauren Baratz-Logsted's home site
- Lesa's Book Critiques
- Linda L. Richards: author and geek girl
- Music critic Brett Milano's home page
- Musings of a Bookish Kitty
- Nose to the Ground: Julia Szabo's dog news blog
- Off the Page: Mystery columnist Oline H. Cogdill's blog
- Poe's Deadly Daughters
- Poisoned Pen Press
- Reviewed by Liz
- Reviewing the Evidence
- Steve Dale's "Pet World"
- The Lipstick Chronicles
- The Scissor Men (our friend Ted's band)
- UCLA Writers Program (where I teach)
- Vicki Croke - animal author extraordinaire
- Working Stiffs
6 comments:
As a new author, I'm certainly not going to offer any advice - I look up to you for guidance and have nothing to offer in this arena, except to say that it makes me feel a little better that even a successful, established writer like you goes through this. That being said, I've read almost everything you ever wrote and so far, it's all been perfect. Why would "Grey Matters" be any different?
You KNOW it's a good book - deep down inside, you do. Reread your last two blog post....
Oh purrs.
I think it's fear - what did I miss? what did I screw up? - but thank you!!
I feel your pain. It's like dieing.
Hey clea, at this point of the re-read, wondering, how much do you change? What do you fix? Just curious.
Hi Chris,
At this point, I'm looking mainly for raw bits of writing that just don't sound good. But I'm also checking for continuity (just had to go back and make sure Dulcie had met someone already as she says, I've been over this so many times, I wasn't sure.) And I'm looking to trim a bit of one subplot that my editor suggested (minor) and add a little bit more in one other area - a matter of word and line changes, not full-page changes.
The problem is always that you are so close, you can't tell anymore what is good and what needs work, but I bet it is great!
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